Trials and Errors
by MavisClone
Summary: My mother had a fondness for older men. Apparently it was a hereditary trait. Brady/OC
1. Chapter 1: Feeling hot hot hot

Trials and Errors

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight universe or any of the characters within it. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do however own Tilly, Beth, Mark and Tate and any other original characters that may or may not prop up throughout the story. This is a non-profitable fanfiction written for the enjoyment of the author and its readers.

A/N: Hey gang, my first ever chaptered Twilight fic! To be honest I'm not a fan of Bella and Edward but I found the wolf pack to be pretty damn awesome. This idea has floated about in my head for a while so I decided to finally write it down. I'm planning for it to eventually be 'Rated M' but for now I'm keeping it 'T' until then. Hope you guys like it and please feel free to post feedback and any constructive criticisms you may have! I also have some more Twilight and Harry Potter one-shots/chaptered fics that you may be interested in so please feel free to check out my profile.

Until next time!

MavisClone x

* * *

Chapter One: Feeling hot hot hot

My mother had always had a thing for older guys; they were usually scandalously older than her. I mean, I understood her obsession with Sean Connery; the guy was like a hundred years old but still a stone cold fox. Otherwise her dalliances with older men tended to get her into trouble, and later into heartbreak. The greatest example of this would be me. I was the surprise love child of a teenager and a guy seven years her senior who promptly skipped town when he learned that my mom had a bun in her oven. Thank fully I had never been in contact with the creep, nor did I ever want to.

Being brought up by my single mother and, in part, my great gran was actually pretty great – I never missed out on anything other kids had and I was so close to my mom that we really didn't have any boundaries to what I could talk to her about.

But throughout my amazing childhood, she still had a weakness for noticeable age differences (and smarmy bastards). A great many of them turned out to be married, the rest ran for the hills when they discovered she had a kid. When I became a teenager a few of them would pretend to mistake us for sisters. I would immediately tell her break up with them while they were still present.

Five years ago after a particularly bad break up (her boyfriend had appeared to not only be married, but in fact had two wives and a litter of children across the country) we packed up our belongings into the back of a moving van, drove to the other side of the state and began our new life in Forks. I have to admit that it was probably the best decision that my mom had ever made for either of us. Mom had a great job in Port Angeles so we were finally no longer tight for money. We were happier than we had ever been. We had more friends and I was doing even better at school because I wasn't worried about my mom being able to afford stuff anymore. Her love for older men lingered and it finally came up trumps – she had found a guy that actually deserved her.

We were in mom's car heading towards La Push. I had passed on driving there as, despite how long I had lived in Forks, I had never ventured to the nearby reservation. However, had I known how nervous my mom would have been as we got closer to our destination I would have insisted on driving regardless.

"Mom, you're in the wrong gear."

"What, darling?" She said, keeping her eyes on the road. "I can't hear you over the car!"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED TO CHANGE GEAR!"

"Oh shit." My mom cussed.

I looked at her worriedly. "Are you feeling all right?"

She patted my knee and smiled. "I'm fine, love. Just a bit nervous."

"Don't be silly. I love Mark, he's really great." I said. Mark and my mom had dated for just over a year but this was the first time mom was taking me to visit his place. "And I'm sure I'll get on with his son too."

At this my mom brightened. "Oh, he's really lovely, Tilly. You'll love him – he's about your age."

I narrowed my eyes at my mother. "I thought you said he was three years older?"

"Yeah. About the same, like I said."

"Let's be honest, you're not the greatest judge when it comes to age." I joked.

She raised a hand from the steering wheel and smacked my leg playfully. "Cheeky swine." She said with amusement.

After a while we parked in front of a bungalow and I admired the wild plants and greenery that surrounded it. I saw Mark press his bespectacled, smiling face against one of the windows and wave before he walked round to open the porch door for us.

"Well, hello ladies!" His voice boomed, before he pulled my mother into a hug. He kissed her on the lips and then the nose which made her giggle. "I'm really glad you came, Tilly." He said as he hugged me.

"Well, I hope you know I'm missing the _Dog the Bounty Hunter _marathon for this, Marky boy, so you better make it worth my while." I joked.

He smiled. "I bought every kind of cake under the sun for dessert."

"I knew there was a reason that I liked you!"

Mark ushered us into the cosy living room and fetched drinks as we made ourselves comfortable.

"Tate should be here soon. He wanted to finish off a few errands before you came over." Mark said as he passed me a glass. We sat and talked as we waited for Mark's son to come home.

"So," Mark asked. "Have you got any plans for what you're going to do now you've finished high school? Your mom said you didn't apply for college."

I laughed awkwardly. Usually when people asked this question and I answered them they were judgemental, as if not going to college automatically made you a lay about.

"No, college just isn't for me. Maybe later in life, but for now I'm not really interested." I peered at Mark to watch his reaction. "I've actually always wanted to work in events, so I managed to get a year's paid internship in Port Angeles when summer's over. It's only a small company but I figure it's a step in the direction I want to go."

"I think that's great." Mark said with honesty. "People get so hung up about going to college to get a good job and half the time it's not the right path for that person. It's great that you have a clear view of what you want to do and you're finding a way to get there. I hope you do well, I really do."

I smiled as I felt warmth bubble in my chest from what he said. Oh yeah, I really approved of mom's boyfriend.

We all jumped as the front door crashed open and a giant guy appeared. "I'm here, I'm here! Let's get this party started!"

He was a six foot-something, tanned block of muscle swathed in jeans and a gloriously fitted black top. His face looked a younger, slightly more attractive version of his dad's; cheeky smile included, and his black hair was wind-swept in a devil-may-care sort of fashion. I had to command myself to pick up my jaw from the ground.

"Tate!" My mom said as she jumped up to hug him.

"Beth!" He boomed with equal enthusiasm. "You're an absolute vision! My eyes are overwhelmed with your divine beauty!"

"All right, smart mouth, I get enough cheek from her!" Mom said, and pointed towards me.

Tate smiled.

"Glad to hear the abuse continues at home too!" He stretched out his arm for me to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you finally, Tilly. I'm Tate, Mark's son." I took his hand and shook it. His palm was so hot it was on the verge of burning my own.

"It's very nice to meet you too." I said, as I felt my cheeks become unreasonably red. I was impressed that I had managed to string together a coherent sentence considering that the only thing that ran through my mind was, 'Hot hot hot hot hot hot'. And I didn't mean his temperature.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see that my mom smirked at me. She had purposefully left out the part where Tate was not only 'lovely' but also punch-in-the-gut, totally smoking _hot_.

"You really are the spit of your mom." Tate said, as he looked back and forth between us.

It was true; I was the mirror image of my mom in her teenage years; strawberry blonde, lightly freckled and unfairly short. I'd seen pictures of her when she was a teenager and I was always struck with how gorgeous she was when she smiled. I hoped that I looked at least half that good when I was happy.

"I have a bigger rack." I blurted out.

Mark and Tate were taken aback and then both laughed in the same loud, genuinely amused way.

"You wish, little girl!" My mother retorted and looked down at her own chest. "Mine have gotten bigger since I was your age!"

"That's post-pregnancy breastage," I argued. "You won't be able to compete with mine when I start popping out beautiful mini-me's."

"Just remember where you got your DNA and good looks from, young lady!"

"Brad Pitt?" I fired off with ease. It was a long-running joke between us.

"Shall we begin the meal then?" Mark asked quickly to put a stop to our playful argument. He had been witness to enough of them to know that we would carry on forever unless someone bothered to stop us.

The meal had been amazing and we sat with empty plates and full stomachs – well, I doubted Tate's was. He had eaten three helpings of lasagna and a slice of each of the five cakes Mark had bought and Tate still seemed to be hungry. I had stared in a mix of disgust and awe when he attacked his food. I had also been distracted by the sheer size of his muscles and wondered how he could be that much of a pig and still be that cut.

"How in the hell are you that buff?" I said when he reached for another mammoth slice of cake.

"Errrr," he said with his mouth full. "Gym?"

"There is no way that you are that cut without taking something extra," I said evenly. "You realise steroids shrink your junk?"

Tate choked on the rest of his cake.

* * *

It had been two months since the meal at Mark's place and it had flown by. Tate and I had seen more of each other when he and his dad came to visit us or vice versa. I had even taken to hanging out with Tate on my own – we would usually drive into Port Angeles to see a movie or have a day glued to his Xbox. At the time he was guiding me through the Assassin's Creed series.

I learned that he worked in his friend's hardware store and that he wanted to pursue a career in art, but before he could do that he was focused on helping out the La Push council to maintain the reservation. He didn't go into detail about what that actually meant.

Despite the involuntary drool that sometimes escaped from my mouth, I did eventually stop ogling Tate so much (though he was very nice to look at) and thought more of him now as a best friend, possibly the brother I never had.

We had just finished another meal at our house and were watching _Inception_. Mark and my mom cuddled together on the loveseat whereas Tate and I were at either side of the big couch with our legs stretched out. Tate's weirdly hot legs kept mine toasty warm. The film ended and Mark switched the television off abruptly.

"Kids, we've got something to tell you." He said. "And we hope that you will happy about it."

Tate and I looked at each other questioningly and both sat up slowly to face Mark and my mom.

"As you know, Beth and I having been dating for a long time and we've decided together that we want to it to be more."

I waited for Mark or my mom to say something else. My heart banged so fast against my chest that I was sure it was audible to everyone in the room.

"We're going to get married!" My mom said and gave the biggest smile I had ever seen on her face.

"Congratulations!" I squealed as I leaped upwards to embrace both my mother and Mark. Tate joined in and enveloped all of us in his absurdly long arms.

"It's about damn time!" He said after letting go of us all and clapped his dad on the back. "Beth, you're not going to turn into a wicked step-mother and make me clean your clothes and wash the dishes are you?" Tate asked.

"Only if you're cheeky." She said. Mom made her way to me and put her hands on either side of my face. "Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Mom, I'm over the moon for you. I love Mark to bits and I love you together." I nudged my head in Tate's direction. "I can even tolerate him."

Tate wrapped his arm around my neck.

"Watch that mouth of yours, little sister!" He said as he pinched my cheek.

I wrestled out of his lock and punched him in the arm. "Whatever, big brother."

* * *

"So they've settled on February then?" Tate's voice echoed through my cell.

"Yup," I said, rested my feet on my desk and leaned back in my chair. "They've got to sort out the dates but they were thinking around the 10th; they want to be on their honeymoon for Valentine's day."

I heard a sputter down the phone.

"Oh gross, Tils. Now I've got a mental image of my dad getting it on with your mom." Tate said disgusted.

"Tate! TMI, babe. Now it's in my head too!" I complained. "Like I need anything distracting me from organising this bloody engagement party."

"It's going to be brilliant and you know it. That reminds me – I've got a couple more people to invite. They're my friends but they work for the council like me and dad. Would that be okay?"

I tapped my pen on my knee, slightly annoyed. "And you ask me this two days before the party?"

"Yes?" He whimpered.

I sighed, defeated. "Sure. Just make sure you hit me up with an estimate of how many extra people are coming. And make sure you have something prepared for the toasts!"

Tate groaned. "Do we really have to give speeches at this thing? It's only going to be at your house."

"Tate Ashley," I bellowed down the phone, "This is my mother's first and only marriage, which means it is her first and only engagement party. You are going to make a speech at this event and if you complain about it one more time I'm going to make you do it in a pretty pink bonnet and a tutu."

He begrudgingly agreed.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" He offered.

"Just help me decorate the house on the day." I said.

"Only so long as you have me doing manly stuff. I don't fancy placing lacy doilies or-" He paused as a long howl echoed down the phone. "Tilly, I've got to go. I'll text you later."

"Sure, my lunch break's nearly over. Talk to you soon, big bro."

"See you later, little sis." He said before the line went dead.

I swung my feet off my desk and turned my seat around to see Jessica Stanley, my supervisor staring at me. Jessica was the crème de la crème of the company – if I had any chance of having a successful internship, and possibly a job afterwards, I needed to impress her.

"I heard you threatening your step-brother." She said with her eyes still attached to me. Her perfectly manicured nails gripped the stack of thick planners in her arms tighter. "I knew there was a reason why we had you as an intern." She smiled and winked at me before she walked into her office.

I bathed in my smugness from the compliment until I realised that Tate had cut off our conversation at the sound of a wolf howl. Why the hell was he anywhere near a wolf?


	2. Chapter 2: Lights, camera, action!

Trials and Errors

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight universe or any of the characters within it. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do however own Tilly, Beth, Mark and Tate and any other original characters that may or may not prop up throughout the story. This is a non-profitable fanfiction written for the enjoyment of the author and its readers.

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the second instalment! Thanks for the feedback on the first chapter – it's much appreciated. Just in case people are wondering, this story is set roughly fourteen years after the events of Breaking Dawn. I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always feedback and constructive criticism are thoroughly welcomed!

Until next time!

MavisClone x

* * *

Chapter Two: Lights…Camera…Action!

"WHO PUT THE GARBAGE BINS BY THE BACK OF THE HOUSE?" I shouted in desperation.

I had an hour until guests starting arriving at our house and I was cracking under the pressure of trying to get everything ready. The caterers had arrived forty minutes late after getting lost on the other side of town and Tate and I were dashing around trying to get the last of the decorations set up to perfection. Thankfully my best friend, Natalie, had come home from college in Seattle and had popped in early to see if she could lend a helping hand.

"Me?" Tate answered. He cringed as he expected a verbal lashing. I breathed in and out to calm myself; I knew I was transforming into a terrifying dragon lady and I had taken out my frustration on Tate that afternoon.

"Could you move them to the side of the house for me?" I asked as I felt calmer. "I just don't want them getting in the way when people walk into the garden."

Tate nodded and started to stroll outside before I reached a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "I'm really sorry for nagging at you recently. I just want this to be special but I'm sorry that I'm taking it out on you." I apologised.

Tate simply smiled and squeezed my hand which still rested on his shoulder.

"No problem, Tilly. Thankfully I'm used to you by now; I'm not taking it personally. Besides, you've got nothing to worry about. The party's going to be perfect." He pulled me into a small hug before going to move the bins.

Natalie swatted at my hand when I tried to pick up more balloons and pin them to the wall. The brunette swiped the balloons out of my grip with a grin.

"Stop right there, little miss!" She wagged her finger at me and looked down from her (partially taller) height. "It's time you and that gorgeous step-brother-to-be went and got dressed."

I started to argue with her but it was useless. When Tate came back indoors she slapped both our behinds until we raced up the stairs to change and she promised to finish off the decorations herself.

"Go and make yourselves beautiful enough to welcome your guests!" She shouted up at us.

"I could wear a tea cosy and still look dazzling!" Tate retorted.

Thankfully I had the forward planning to shower and put my hair in rollers early that morning in case I would be stuck for time getting ready. When I got to my room I brushed a light layer of gold onto my eyes, lined them and put four coats of mascara on for good measure. I took out my rollers and brushed through my strawberry blonde hair gently until it just passed my shoulders in waves.

The dress I had shopped for with my mom earlier that week was hung on the outside of my wardrobe. It was summery blue and fitted at my chest with a sweetheart neckline. The skirt was floaty with a dip hem that's longest piece touched the top of my calf. It was the prettiest thing I owned. I slipped it over my head, careful not to ruin my hair and make-up. I slid my feet into gold sandal heels and surveyed my appearance. Sure, I would be in my house but I was the sort of person that couldn't resist wearing heels when it was a special occasion. I smiled at my reflection; I looked genuinely pretty. I felt it too.

With ten minutes to spare until the guests would start to arrive I walked down the hall and opened the door to my mom's room to check she was ready. She was standing at her mirror putting in a pair of earrings. Her hair was curled and reached just below her chin which made her look even younger than she was. Her short sleeve dress was deep green and slightly ruched. It hugged her all the way down to the top of her knee. She looked up at me and smiled.

"Hello, darling. Is it time for battle stations?" She asked.

"Oh mom, you look beautiful!" I gasped. I blinked ferociously as I was determined not to cry. "I just spent ages on this makeup, dammit!"

Mom laughed and hugged me. "C'mon, kiddo. It's time to go down. I think Tate and Mark are hiding out in the kitchen."

We found them huddled together with Natalie flirting outrageously with Tate. He seemed to enjoy the attention.

"My God," I said as I strolled into the kitchen. "Don't you two scrub up well?"

Mark had accepted my not-so-subtle hints that he should wear a shirt and dress pants, and it suited him incredibly well. Tate had also given in and worn a pin-stripe shirt but had opted to wear camel chinos out of a fit of rebellion. In any case, they both looked incredibly dapper.

"I could say the same for you two!" Mark said as he stood up to kiss my mom. He looked at both of us with a smile. "How am I so lucky to marry into such a gene pool?"

"You're not," I answered with ease, "She's only marrying you for your vast fortune."

Before Mark could think of a witty retort the doorbell rang to announce the first of the guests arriving.

"Places people," Tate boomed as I walked over to let people in. "This is not a drill! Lights, camera…" He waited as I began to open the door. "…Action!"

* * *

The party was in full swing. People were interacting and laughing, the music was good, the weather was sunny and no one had food poisoning. Hell, I'd call it a success.

Mom's work colleagues had come in droves – she was the assistant manager of a hotel in Port Angeles and well-liked among the staff. Those who could get the time off were happy to come and give her their best wishes for the future. Mark's work buddies and friends from La Push had also come in tidal waves. A large gang of tanned muscular guys from La Push had joined the celebration an hour before and upon seeing Tate in the garden had immediately tackled him to the floor – I felt it was safe to assume that they were his friends.

Considering most of my friends were scattered across the country for college I had less of a gathering than the rest of my family. I did however have Natalie and Luke from high school there, and a fellow intern called Fiona that I had grown close to in the short time that we had worked together.

We all sat around one of the picnic tables in the garden, laughing together and exchanging tales of high school pranks and scandals. It was nice to catch up; with Natalie in college and Luke and I busy at our new jobs we had hardly been able to talk properly since the summer. In the celebratory spirit I had managed to get my guests steadily more tipsy – one of the perks of organising a party at your own home was that no one restricted you to the legal drinking age.

Tate made his way over to us flanked by a couple of his friends from the reservation.

"Are you old enough to be drinking that?" He asked as he gestured towards my half full wine glass.

"If you try to take this away from me I will destroy you." I threatened him with a smile. Our friends laughed, whether out of genuine amusement or their slight inebriated state.

"I'd say she's earned a drink or two, don't you agree?" Natalie said, flirting with my soon-to-be brother. He smiled back at her.

"Indeed she has." He gestured back to his friends with his beer bottle. "I hope you appreciate the amount of threatening I had to do to get _this lot_ into shirts."

One of them chuckled. "Yeah, thanks for that. I only ever owned shorts and flip-flops before today."

I smiled at him and shrugged. "What can I say? I like it when people dress up! Makes it feel a bit more special."

"Tilly, this is Collin," Tate said as he pointed to the guy who had just spoken. "And these two are Embry and Matt." His other friends waved as their names were spoken. "They work for the council like me. Guys, this is Tilly, my little sister."

Collin's phone beeped and he relayed the message to my brother. "Seth just texted; he and Brady are running a little late but they'll be here in about half an hour."

"Just in time for the speeches then!" Tate smiled.

I cringed. "Oh God! Why did I think that was a good idea?" I poked Tate hard in his abs. "You should have talked me out of it!"

Tate looked affronted. "I did! About five times – you said it was imperative that we did them!"

Luke chuckled from his seat beside me. "It's just Tilly being herself – she's always up for speeches in theory, but about five minutes before she actually has to give one she suddenly remembers she's terrified of public speaking."

Fiona tutted. "Backing out of a plan! The boss wouldn't be too happy about that."

I stuck my tongue out at her and gulped down some wine. "Whatever, I'll be ready for it when the time comes."

I turned my head back to see Natalie, Luke and Tate whispering conspiratorially. "Wait, are you-? You guys are betting if I'll chicken out!" I realised before I started throwing napkins at them in my rage.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" I said as my voice echoed throughout the house and into the garden. People started to gather in our front room at the sound of my voice. I had kicked my shoes off and stood on one of our dining chairs, raised above the many people now crammed into one room. I felt the panic beginning to rise before I caught my mom's eye and she winked at me. I smiled, filled with new gusto.

"For those of you who don't know me I'm Tilly, Beth's daughter and Maid of Honour," my friends in the crowd whooped and I heard Tate shout "YEAH!" through cupped hands. I paused before I continued; silently wishing that the couple I was speaking about and their guests would take what I said in good humour.

"The first time I heard of Mark, I literally heard him," I said. I raised my eyebrow at a friend of Tate's murmuring, 'Kinky'. "The first couple of nights he stayed over my mom made him sneak out before the morning. She was nervous about me meeting with him because I didn't usually take that well to her boyfriends. The thing is that Mark is not the stealthiest of people, and I would hear him crashing down the stairs or tripping into our furniture. Eventually I just told mom to let her secret boyfriend stay for breakfast because he kept waking me up at ungodly hours trying to sneak out."

The crowd laughed, including mom and Mark so I figured I was on a roll. "I later discovered how awesome Mark was when I made this huge dent in the hood of my car. He saw me freaking out on the driveway as my mom was pulling up and he suddenly pulled this elaborate story out of his ass despite how obvious it was what had actually happened." I smiled at Mark as I said, "He still claims that a giant bear sat on my car."

The crowd laughed again. "I've had a history of not getting along with guys that my mom has dated. I've had her to myself all my life and I know how wonderful and honest and perfect she really is. It's hard to share her because she is everything to me." I paused and looked at Mark with his arms around my mom. They looked perfect together. "But I know that's she's everything to you too. You are _it_ for her. I couldn't possibly let her marry anyone less worthy than you."

My mom and Mark held each other tighter and I could see tears forming in mom's eyes. "I'm so glad that's she's found you and I know you will both be ridiculously happy with each other for the rest of your lives. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family. I love you both."

The crowd applauded and I could see Natalie dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

"So, to finish off," I said, raising my wine glass. "I'd like to toast Beth and Mark; may you have a lifetime of happiness ahead of you."

"To Beth and Mark!" The crowd echoed as they raised their glasses.

I hopped down from my makeshift stand and skipped my way over to mom and Mark where I was met with a hug from the both of them. We listened to Tate's speech with our arms still around each other. After he finished, Mark and mom said their thanks to the crowd for being present at the "beginning of their family". I'm not too proud to admit that I may have cried.

Pretty soon the festivities and drinking were back in fashion and Tate dragged me over to his friends to introduce me to the newcomers.

"This is Seth," he said as the taller of the two extended his hand to shake.

"Pleased to meet you," Seth said with a friendly grin. "That was a really great speech."

"Pshht." I said waving him off. "That was just a warm up. Next week I'm speaking at the Lincoln Memorial."

Seth laughed and clapped the back of his companion. The guy was a little shorter than Tate, probably about 6'4", with cropped black hair. His face was angular and I could see through his shirt that his muscles were even more defined that Tate's. I felt my heart quicken as Seth introduced him. "This is Brady, he works with us."

I reached out to take Brady's hand and smiled at him. He was as burning hot at Tate and the rest of his friend's. "Hey, I'm Tilly." I said.

His head reacted to the sound of my voice and his brown eyes snapped onto my own. Eventually a huge smile spread across the guy's face as he shook my hand enthusiastically.

"I'm Brady." He said as he still held on and shook my hand.

"I know," I said, feeling awkward. "Seth just told me." I pulled my hand from his. It finally dawned on him that the shake had been weirdly long and he attempted to recover by running his hand through his hair. Damn, his hair looked tantalizingly soft.

"So…what do you do?" He asked.

"I'm being trained in events management." I answered him. I hadn't escaped my notice that the rest of Tate's friends were flicking their eyes nervously between him and Brady. Tate was stood perfectly still with his fists clenched by his sides.

"Did you go straight into that after finishing college?" Brady asked as he smiled. He seemed oblivious to his friends' reactions to our conversation.

"No." I answered simply. "I went into my internship this year after I finished high school."

Brady's face blanched. "Wait…you're like, eighteen then?"

"Yeah," I said, annoyed. "I like, am."

I felt Tate's warm hand on my shoulder.

"Would you excuse us for a minute, Tils?" Tate asked me in a deadly calm voice. "I just need to talk to the guys privately. Council business."

I could feel the tension between my brother and his friend, Brady. "Sure thing," I answered, happy to escape the situation. "I'm going to go and see Natalie and the others anyway."

I said my goodbyes and headed towards my friends in the garden. Before I stepped outside I turned my head back to see that Tate grabbed hold of Brady's arm and barrelled him out of our front door. Their friends were hot on their trail.

"People from round here are weird." I murmured to myself.

* * *

"You sure do have a skewed view of what a minute is." I remarked as Tate loped into the kitchen, hours after he had left. "Most people have already gone."

Only Natalie, who was planning to stay over for the night, and a few stragglers who were in the midst of saying their goodbyes were left. The party had been an insane success but the absence of Tate, and his peculiarly enthusiastic friend Brady, had played on my mind.

Tate headed towards the sink and started to wash the teetering pile of dishes beside it.

"I'm sorry for skipping out on the party – an emergency came up at the council and I had to sort it out." He said without looking at me.

"Couldn't they have asked someone to help whose parents weren't having an engagement party?" I said as I leaned against the counter next to him with my arms crossed.

"It took a few of us to deal with it. I needed to be there," Tate smiled humourlessly as he said, "I'm sort of personally involved with the issue."

I looked at my brother-to-be and my heart broke a little; he looked so exhausted and down trodden. My annoyance at him forgotten, I put a comforting hand on his forearm.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I offered.

Tate backed away from the sink and dried his hands on a dishcloth before he turned back to me.

"You know I love you as if you were my real sister, right?" he asked me. Despite the relatively short time we had known each other, I already considered Tate and Mark my family.

"Of course I do." I said as I grew more worried for him.

"And I would do anything for you." I nodded before he pulled me into a tight hug. "You know no one will ever be good enough for you, right?" He said.

I pushed against him so I could look up at his face. "What's going on with you? You're kind of worrying me."

He sighed and smiled. "Nothing. Guess the party made me a bit sentimental."

We stood in awkward silence for a while.

"Well, if you need to talk…" I left the rest of the sentence dangling in the space between us.

"Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." Tate said. "I'm going to start clearing up outside."

I carried on washing the plates in the sink as Tate headed out of the kitchen door into the garden. When he started clearing glasses from the picnic tables, I could have sworn I heard him whisper, "I'm gonna kill Brady."


	3. Chapter 3: Sowing the seeds of doubt

Trails and Errors

Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight universe or any of the characters within it. They belong to Stephenie Meyer. I do however own Tilly, Beth, Mark and Tate and any other original characters that may or may not prop up throughout the story. This is a non-profitable fanfiction that is written for the enjoyment of the author and its readers.

A/N: Holy roly poly, a third chapter! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites of this story – they're all much appreciated. I seriously can't wait to carry on after this chapter – story picks up a lot of pace from here on out. I hope you enjoy the chapter and as always feedback and constructive criticism are thoroughly welcomed!

Until next time!

MavisClone x

* * *

Chapter Three: Sowing the Seeds of Doubt

The week that followed the engagement party, Tate had trouble at work. He didn't say much but it didn't take long to figure out that he had argued with a few of his friends who also worked for the La Push Council. Whenever we hung out he was bombarded with texts, I saw that the two names that flashed up most on his phone were 'Jacob' and 'Brady'. The latter piqued my interest more than the other.

Seeing Tate stressed out so much tugged at my heart strings and I found myself offering help if I could.

He just snorted. "I'll let you know."

On the Saturday we were sat in front of the television in Tate's house and watched _The Mighty Ducks, _while my mom and Mark poured over holiday brochures in the kitchen to attempt to organise their honeymoon. Tate shifted himself every couple of minutes and rubbed at the huge tired bags under his eyes. After he sighed for what seemed to be the millionth time, I threw the nearest coaster at his head.

"Get up!" Tate widened his eyes at me. "Come on, if you're going to be miserable you may as be miserable outside."

It was a sunny day in contrast to the usual standard of the weather in Washington so I dragged him out to First Beach along with a soccer ball. There were only a handful of people littered across the sand and the soft waves had discouraged the surfers from appearing. I couldn't believe I had only been a regular visitor to La Push for a few months. I had always loved the beach; I couldn't get enough of the salty scent that surrounded me or the restless sea that tried to inch its way further up the sand. La Push beach even looked beautiful when it rained and it had fast become my favourite place.

Tate and I found an empty spot to play in. I tied my hair up into a loose bun and we immediately began to tackle the soccer ball from each other. It was a fairly even battle due to Tate's speed and my skill. I hadn't really played since leaving high school and the girls' soccer team, and I revelled in the fresh challenge Tate brought to me. He seemed a lot happier as he blew off steam and even dared to play mischievously.

We tripped and shoved each other when one of us had the ball. Tate covered my eyes so I missed my kick. When I tried to reach up to do the same his tremendous height and my shortness led me to punching him in the face instead. It still had the same desired effect of him being distracted and I wound up desperately kicking the ball farther up the beach away from him. I sensed Tate advancing on me. When I saw his leg stretch to intercept me I pounded the ball in a rush of adrenaline, determined to keep it from him. The ball soared through the air, spinning madly until it landed with a dull splash in the sea.

I turned around to face Tate who gave me an exasperated look.

"Sorry?" I said as I lifted my shoulders innocently and grinned.

Tate crossed his arms and inclined his head towards the sphere that bobbed on the surface of the water. "You kicked it in." He said as he tried to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"I guess I'll get it then." I shrugged off my laced pumps and scrunched my bare feet into the sand. I let myself enjoy the feel of the sand curl around my feet before I walked towards the water. Thankfully I had worn khaki shorts so the sea wouldn't reach to soak my clothes at least.

My skin tingled when it came in contact with the icy water. "I thought the point of having a big brother was so I didn't have to do things like this?" I shouted back to Tate who barked out a laugh.

"That only applies when the big brother gives a shit." He bellowed. "Besides, I take pleasure in your pain."

I picked the ball up from the water and carried it back under my arm as it dripped. When I was close enough to Tate I shoved it into his chest. Hard.

"Just so you know, when I get home I'm going to take out the Christmas present I've already bought for you and burn it."

"Does your dad know that he is allowing a pyromaniac into the family?" A deep voice boomed somewhere behind me. I swivelled myself to face it and saw a group of four tall, muscular Quileute men heading towards us. I gaped at them. None of them were wearing shirts and the only covering they had were cut offs and sneakers. I knew I wore shorts but I had the good mind to layer a pale pink hooded jacket over my tee shirt. I had to wonder how these guys hadn't caught hypothermia.

My eyes involuntarily glued themselves to a particular abdominal-infested torso. My pulse quickened at the sight of the dark skin and muscles and I fought the urge to fan my face with my hands. I lifted my gaze to look at the said Adonis' face and realised that I recognised him.

"Oh," I said surprised. "I've met you!"

Brady beamed back at me seeming elated. "I've met you too!" He said with enthusiasm. "How are you, Tilly?"

"I'm fine." I said with a chuckle, though I wasn't exactly sure what I was laughing at. Tate's chest rumbled beside me and I saw that he had narrowed his eyes at Brady.

"Since when do you growl?" I asked him. I looked back and forth between Tate and Brady; the air between them seemed to crackle as they mirrored each other with hard stances. A light bulb went off in my head – this was the guy Tate was having problems with at work.

"That's enough," one of the other topless guys said in the same powerful voice as before. He stood taller and more proud than the others with broader shoulders and an attitude that demanded attention and respect. He faced me and smiled. "Tilly, we've heard a lot about you. I'm Jacob; Tate's boss."

I politely shook his hand and nodded in recognition to the other two members of the clan – I remembered Collin and Seth from my mom's engagement party.

"What brings you out here then?" Jacob asked as he bounced his gaze between Tate and Brady who stood stiffly opposite each other.

"He was driving me insane," I nudged my thumb in Tate's direction. "So I dragged him out here for some soccer, but as you can see it went a little askew." I said as I motioned towards my bare feet and still sodden legs.

"You should dry off you know," Brady said as he frowned at them in concern, "You don't want to get sick."

The way he said it made me think that _he_ didn't want me to get sick either. It was rather a strange reaction to get from a near-stranger.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," I rationalised. "I'm already drying off anyway."

Seth and Collin shared a look and rolled their eyes at Brady. 'Typical' their faces said.

"How come you're here?" Tate asked Jake stiffly, though he kept his stare concentrated on Brady.

"We were looking for you, wondering whether you're gonna be at the barbeque tonight?" Seth said chirpily with his hands in his pockets.

"Sure." Tate shrugged.

"You should come too and meet everyone." Brady jumped in and invited me.

I opened my mouth to decline but Tate beat me to it.

"She can't," he said, smug. "She has plans with her friend."

"Sorry," I apologised, "But I hope you have fun."

"No problem, maybe next time?" Brady smiled lightly. I shrugged non-committedly.

"Well, we'd better go," Jake interrupted. "Leah will bite off my head if I'm not back in time to help set up for tonight."

"Literally." Collin scoffed.

The group waved goodbye as they walked behind Jake and made 'whipped' sound effects. Brady was the last in line and turned his head to wink at me before he disappeared from view.

"So…" I faced Tate. "Want to tell me why you're boxers are in a bunch over Brady or am I going to have to beat it out of you?"

Tate collapsed down onto the sand with his legs propped up. I chose to imitate him but hugged my knees to myself for warmth as I sat.

"It's not the affect he has on _my_ underwear that I'm concerned about." He said pointedly.

I shoved his shoulder as powerfully as I could. "Ew, that's completely gross. Not to mention bonkers."

"Oh please! I thought you were going to drool all over yourself when he came over."

I rolled my eyes at Tate's over-active imagination.

"He likes you." He said more softly.

"And?" I said. "Why is that such a problem for you? Is he a bad guy?"

"No, not at all," Tate said with honesty, "Brady's great."

"I'm still not seeing the predicament then."

"It's just that he's a lot older than you. I think he's in his mid-twenties at least. And he's a computer technician. And-"

"Okay, I'll give you the age thing, that's something to mull over for anyone. But otherwise I feel like you're grasping at straws."

Tate sighed in frustration. He leaned his head back into the sun's gaze and stayed still for a moment. Meanwhile I looked out to the sea; the waves rolled to shore stronger than before and continued to pick up their pace. I carried on looking at it as Tate began to speak again.

"It's just that the girls here – the women – when they get involved with the guys from the council, well, everything just gets put on the back burner for them," he paused. "These couples fall so in love but the council members have too much responsibility to the tribe to be anywhere but La Push. Their partners just have to give up on everything that they want for them to stay here."

Tate played with the sand at his feet. "There was this couple that did eventually move from here to Seattle; Paul and Rachel. Rachel hated it here and always wanted to move, but she had to wait _years_ for Paul to be able to stop phasi-" Tate tripped over his words before he began anew. "For Paul to pass on his responbilities. I just don't want that to happen to you."

"Tate, it's not really any place of ours to judge on what some couples choose to do with their lives together," I said evenly, "But you're acting as if I'm about to run off in the sunset with Brady. I've met him twice, he's about a decade older than me and, although I admit he is hot to trot, I am in no way interested in him like that – _at all._"

I shoved my pumps back on and lifted myself to my feet. "You seriously need to chill. You'll explode someday if you keep worrying so much." I told the tan giant beside me.

He looked up with a sly grin.

"You have no idea."

"Besides, even though I appreciate the concern for my welfare, I find your protectiveness over my romantic life kind of patronising." I said as I looked down at him with a raised brow. "I've been making my own decisions about dating since I was thirteen, and I'm hardly a blushing virgin. Trust me, I'm a big girl; I'm about to buy my own car and everything."

Tate considered my words. "You make a good point, so I'll offer you a deal. I'll back off from your love life as long as you come to talk to me about it whenever you feel like you need to - or when you need me to beat manners into some jerk."

I held out my hand to his, shook it in agreement and then pulled him up.

"Deal, though the thought that I would need you to beat someone up on my behalf would make the Pope curse."

* * *

"You're drunk." Fiona said. She rested one hand on my shoulder to make sure I didn't lose control of my body and slip down the sofa. We had spent the evening watching Bridget Jones' Diary and taking a sip of wine every time either Hugh Grant or Colin Firth graced the television screen. Evidently from my drunken state, I had been highly appreciative.

I shook my head at my colleague – well, at least at one of the Fionas that were currently swimming before my eyes.

"I'm not drunk." I pronounced slowly. "I am simply having a great time."

Fiona's friend Jan laughed. Her own alcohol made her a lot louder than when I had met her earlier in the evening, sober. She was sat on the other side of me with a glass in her hand.

"This is why you don't give drink to the underaged!" She said with glee.

"You only turned twenty-one last month." Fiona retorted. "And you're almost as bad as her."

"I'm nineteen soon." I piped in. I had only caught the age part of Fiona's comment and therefore thought that my slurring tongue had added something relevant to the conversation by mentioning my impending birthday.

"Yes, but I'm legally drunk," Jan retorted. She nudged my stomach with her elbow. "And nineteen still means your underage."

I hid the bottom of my face behind my wine glass. "Not for some things." I said with a giggle.

Jan chuckled and clinked her glass to mine with a wink. "Amen to that, sister."

"So, speaking of unspeakable things – are you dating anyone at the moment?" Fiona said, tacking onto the conversation.

"Ha! That's a funny joke." I said. I was sure that Fiona was aware that I was single already.

"How about one of Tate's friends? They were all rather…yummy."

"I think they're a bit too out of my league."

"Why? What do they look like?" Jan asked, interested.

"Abs," I said simply. "Yummy, lickable abs." My intoxicated mind drifted to a certain Quileute's bare chest that I had witnessed just that day. Brady's body was exceptionally lovely. And muscular. I shook my head in an attempt to make images of half-naked men whizz out of my mind. "I need coffee."

Fiona walked over to her adjoining kitchenette to make my drink. "I only ask because, you see, I have this friend…"

"Oh God, you're not fixing me up are you?" I asked Fiona. Jan stared at me waiting for an answer.

"You're in on this too!" I accused her. "Was this girls' night a ruse to fix me up with one of your friends?"

"No!" Fiona said, offended. Then her face fell into a smile. "Okay, well…maybe just a bit. But he's really nice and he's a fitness instructor. You two have so much in common and you just have to go out with him!"

I glared at her. "I will think about it." I said as I considered how long it had been since I'd been on a proper date. "Ask me again at work – when I'm _sober_, you cunning minx."

Fiona and Jan beamed at me. I immediately regretted my half-commitment to their mad fix-up scheme. People really needed to stop being so fascinated with my love life, I thought.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be ok?" Fiona said as she leaned out of the car door. She had only drunk a small glass of wine early in the night and therefore offered to drive me home once our girls' night had ended.

I fumbled with my keys until I finally had it the right way up and opened my front door. The coffee and cold night air had sobered me up somewhat. "I'll be fine, mom stays in La Push all the time so I'm used to being on my own."

"Ok, call me if you get scared or anything."

I smiled at her. "I'll be fine! Go home before you freeze to death!"

"I'm going, I'm going!" She waved at me. "See you Monday!"

I waved her off and watched her drive around the street corner before I went inside and locked the door. I dumped my shoes besides the foot of the stairs and checked all the windows and doors were locked.

A thin book rested neatly on our oak coffee table. I picked it up, curious as I didn't recognise it. The title 'Quileute Tribe: The Spiritual Beginnings and Legends' led me to believe that it belonged to Mark, who had accidently left it here. I took it upstairs to my room – I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the origins of the family that I was about to become a part of. I rested it on my bedside table, changing into my pyjamas and heading to the bathroom at the front of the house to brush my teeth.

I cleaned them with sluggish drunkenness, not putting much effort into the task. I rinsed out my mouth and looked out of the bathroom window, bored. My eyes widened in shock and I ducked down when I saw something in the middle of the road. I tried to control my ragged breathing and convince myself that I had not seen what I thought I had – that a huge ash-brown wolf had not just loomed in the middle of the road in front of my house, staring up at my bathroom window.

I knew there were meant to be a few wolves around the area but I had been led to believe that they weren't even half the size of what I had just seen out of my window.

"It's just the wine, it's just the wine." I chanted to myself, as I hoped that the alcohol had been to blame for the delusion. I gripped the window sill with trembling arms and dared myself to take another look. I forced my weak knees to straighten out and bring my head level with the window. I peered down to the road cautiously, where I saw a big, fat nothing. I sighed in relief and slapped my palm to my forehead.

"I really need to stop drinking." I muttered to myself.

I walked briskly back to my room and hurried to find shelter in my bed, still irked by what I thought I had seen. Curled in a safe cocoon made from my own duvet, I fell into a deep sleep whilst the Quileute book laid forgotten on my bedside table.

* * *

I woke with a start when I heard the front door slam open. I propped myself up and called out.

"Mom?"

I heard her skip up the stairs and fiddle with my doorknob. The door swung open revealing my mother; she smiled brightly and her cheeks glowed pink from the freezing air outside.

"Morning darling!" She sat on my bed and leaned over to kiss me on the forehead. "How was your night with Fiona?"

I rested back on my pillows with a grim smile. "She's trying to set me up with one of her friends."

"Oh?" Mom settled herself next to me and rested her elbow on my headboard.

"The thing is I'm half considering it." I said.

Mom pulled her 'thoughtful face'. "There's nothing wrong with being set up, Tilly. I met Mark on a blind date."

I slumped onto her shoulder. "There's something so depressing about being put on a date by someone else." I mumbled. "It's like admitting to the world how utterly inept I am at finding someone to like me."

Mom chuckled and stroked my hair. "Life's a bitch."

"And then you die." I finished.

Mom peeked over my head to look at my bedside table. "Oh, I thought you might have picked that up."

"What?" I looked around to see that she meant the Quileute book that I brought up the night before. "Oh, yeah. I haven't got round to reading it yet." I picked it up and flicked through some of the pages, my eyes not really taking in the words.

"Mark leant it to me a couple of months back and I was going to suggest that you read it." She plucked the book from my hands and started to look through it herself. "I think it's important that you know the tribe's histories too."

Mom flicked to a certain page and presented it to me.

"Apparently the Quileutes have had generations of tribesmen who could turn into giant wolves in order to protect their land." She said to entice me.

My head snapped towards hers so fast it almost flew off my neck. "Wolves?" I panicked. "Giant wolves?" I thought back to the night before.

Mom looked at me, alarmed by my reaction. "That's what they believe. I know there's a lot of sightings of wolves around La Push anyway."

"Are they dangerous?" I asked. I flicked through the book as if it would hold the answer in big, capital letters.

"I'm not sure. Perhaps you should ask Tate or Mark about it, seeing as they are from the reservation. They'll be able to answer more than I can." Mom pulled away and went to leave my room.

"Mom?" I gestured to the book in my hand. "Those two don't actually believe in this sort of stuff, right?"

Mom's eyes avoided me as she shrugged, hiding something from me. "You'll have to ask them."

She left me alone to stare at the Quileute book as if it were a bomb about to explode. Images of the ash brown wolf waiting in front of my house the night before rushed to the forefront of my mind and I felt my breath hitch in my throat.

I tried to squash the thought that maybe I had not been as drunk as I thought the night before. Could the wolf I had seen, a wolf the size of a horse, actually be real?

I shook my head and berated myself for my own thought process.

"That's ridiculous. People don't turn into wolves," I mumbled to myself. "Giant wolves that size don't exist either."

I stared at the book of legends again; it called to me to discover more about what my mother had just told me.

"Shit." I cursed as I gave in and began to read. Guiltily I pondered about my level of sanity for wondering how much truth the legends held.

The wolf I had seen the night before, the book of Quileute legends and my mom's words had all begun to sow the seeds of doubt in my mind. This was not something I was going to be able to forget about easily.


End file.
